


love or lies

by foreverwonder



Series: in darkness, we lurk. [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Crimes & Criminals, From Sex to Love, Lawyer!Oikawa, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Private Detective!Iwaizumi, Sequel, Slow Build, i think
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-09-28 07:01:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10078697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverwonder/pseuds/foreverwonder
Summary: Oikawa Tooru was many things—brilliant, charismatic and enviable. His only flaw was his rotten personality which Iwaizumi had pointed out countless times. When an unwanted case was brought to his lap, however, Tooru realised there was more at stake than his own life. The Pandora box was threatening to reopen, and he was forced to make decisions that could endanger himself—and his relationship with Iwaizumi.





	1. grey

**Author's Note:**

> And I'm back! Sorry for the delay on this installment of _in darkness, we lurk_ ; I'm having alot of trouble writing it, mainly because I wasn't sure how rated this fic would be. I considered writing it in such a way to be rated M but thought against it. However, its rating may be bumped up so just a heads up.
> 
> If you have not read **sunny days** and **sugar and salt** yet, I strongly suggest you do so first because this fic is a direct sequel to sugar and salt, set a little more than a year after its conclusion. 
> 
> Enjoy!

He drummed his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel of his car. The hairs on his forearms stood against the cold, and he half-regretted not switching on the heater. But the idle engine would have drawn attention to himself, parked by the road and overlooking the empty street. The streetlights were dim, though it didn't hinder his sight, where he gazed at the sign on the building he was watching.

Aoba Jousai Law Firm.

He shifted uncomfortably in the driver's seat; sitting in a cold car for hours was making his lower back hurt and he clicked his tongue.

"Where are you," he mumbled to himself, just as the last lights in the building went off. He sat straight and unmoving, hidden in the darkness and watched as his target stepped out onto the cold walkway, shivering slightly under his pea coat before locking the door to the building.

His eyes never left the figure at the sidewalk as he fumbled for his phone, pressing 1 on speed dial. There was a short second of ringing before the call was picked up. "It’s me," he spoke into the receiver before the person on the other line could say anything. "I see the target.”

"Good," a low, polite voice spoke from the other end after a moment of silence. "Don't let him see you.”

"Yes," he replied before the line went dead and pocketed the phone. He waited until his target had started walking in the direction of the train station before he quietly got out of the car and followed him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Good night, Oikawa-san."

Tooru looked up from his file to find his associate at the doorway of his office, scarf already wound around his neck. He let his eyes shift to the wall clock to find that it was already ten minutes before ten. Oh.

He flashed the younger man a smile and a small wave. "Alright, Yahaba-chan. See you tomorrow!"

Yahaba nodded, his eyes still fixed on Tooru. "Yeah, don't stay too late, Oikawa-san," he advised to which the older man nodded absentmindedly, already back to reading the file on hand, his reading glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose.

There was a click of the door and then silence. Tooru returned to flipping the file, frowning at the details of his new case, where the wife was asking for a larger amount of settlement as well as the custody of her children even though it was the husband who filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery.  He sighed, flipping a page. The husband had filed for adultery not without proof—he had had plenty of proof and it was now up to Tooru to represent the cheating wife and get her the settlement she wanted. A vein in his temple twitched before he tossed the file back onto his desk, rubbing his eyes under his glasses wearily.

It was at times like this where he hated his job—where dishonesty and greed ran amok, and it was up to Tooru to justify it the best he could. In the many years he has done this, he has seen many types of characters and felt nothing else could surprise him. Yet the thought of this case in his desk sent a sneer curling on his lips. Alas, it was his job and personal opinions aside, he was damn good at it.

A dull throb ached at his temple and Tooru sighed, pulling off his glasses to rub at his eyes. It had been a long day, with board meetings stretching for hours, where Tooru had to smile brightly at the old geezers, and meeting clients. He opened his eyes, where they landed unwittingly at the wall clock.

It was already ten.

The office was empty and with the oncoming headache, Tooru doubted he would be able to get anything else done. With another sigh, he started packing up.

Shrugging his pea coat on, he checked his phone to find no new messages. A small wave if disappointment washed over him for a second before he shook it off, opening the main door and flinching at the cold wind biting into his skin. It took a moment before he managed to lock the door and soon he started walking towards the nearest train station.

It was then Tooru realised something was amiss.

The firm was located in the business district where it was usually quiet after nine in the evening. Tooru, who was no stranger to these late nights, would usually find his walk to the train station void of anyone else, his footsteps being the only one echoing in the dim lit street. But he heard a second set of footsteps behind him.

Light—too light in fact it be considered natural—and keeping a fixed distance behind him, the hairs at the back of his neck rose, the feeling of being watched blanketed his being. He slowed down, pretending to fumble around in his pockets for his phone, his ears sharp. He heard the footsteps stop as well, not moving until Tooru pulled his phone out, and started walking again.

Tooru frowned.

He was being followed.

He sped up, not too much so as to draw attention to himself, but enough for the other set of footsteps to pick up speed. There was no name calling, no hostile voice catcalling at him and Tooru wondered if they were anyone he knew. Turning a corner where the sight of the train station brought out a sigh of relief Tooru hadn't realised he was holding. Taking a few steps forward, he twisted to look behind his shoulder, where in the dim light, loomed a tall dark figure just out of the orange of the streetlight, watching him unmoving. Tooru felt an unpleasant shudder run down his spine as he walked briskly to the entrance of the station, looking back every so often. But the figure remained standing stock still, until Tooru was amongst the crowd and noise of the station did the figure backed off into the darkness.

 

 

 

"I'm in love."

Hajime looked up from his file to find Matsukawa leaning on his hand, elbow on the table, gaze soft and away from him. He followed his line of sight to find the counter, where the barista worked, his short cropped pink hair (Hajime doubted it was natural) flopping above his too thin eyebrows and a smile in place for the customers in line. He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Really," Hajime commented, switching his gaze back to his friend who was now looking at him, his upper lip jutting a bit in a pout and his too thick eyebrows raised.

"Maybe,” Matsukawa relented at last, his droopy eyes flickering back to the barista before a smirk graced his lips. "He's hot though."

Hajime resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead settled to the papers on hand, shuffling through them slowly.

They were meeting at The Blue Leaf, a small, quant cafe just off the main road by the university that Sawamura had recommended a while back. Hajime wasn't a latte person per se but since Matsukawa was paying he couldn't see it in him to refuse.

"Anyway," Hajime cleared his throat, putting the stack of papers into a folder and sliding it across the table to Matsukawa who was still ogling the barista. "This is all I could find during the three days I followed the Yagata group. You might find something of interest somewhere in here."

The larger man nodded, pulling open the folder to give it a once over. He hummed, "You're really great at your job, Iwaizumi. Won't you come back to the force?"

Hajime chuckled, taking a sip of his rapidly cooling coffee—black, no sugar. "Nah," he said, "I left for a reason. I'm not planning on coming back."

Matsukawa pursed his lips, his eyes dragging up from the folder to Hajime's face, studying him for a while. The private detective suddenly felt conscious, but before he could say anything Matsukawa had hummed before looking back to the folder.

"Yeah," the taller man sighed, and the two of them sat in a slightly strained silence for a moment. Hajime downed the rest of his cold coffee in an attempt to do something with his hands and grimaced at the feeling of the liquid sliding down his throat and sloshing about in his empty stomach. He regretted forgoing lunch earlier that day but he had been busy, running around town with cases under his belt. It was ironic though, as Hajime recalled barking at a certain someone to never skip meals no matter how busy they can't get.

It was like as though Matsukawa could read his mind, because he suddenly spoke as he turned a page, "So, how's things with your new guy?"

Hajime froze. "What?"

The taller man looked up to him, eyebrows raised. "What what?"

"What guy?"

Matsukawa cocked his head sideways. "The guy you're dating. Kuroo's been talking about it to Sawamura."

Hajime let out a long-suffering sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He was going to have to speak to Kuroo about spreading gossips that were untrue.

"We're not like that," Hajime bit out, his hand moving away as he fixed Matsukawa a look. "And Kuroo's a bad gossip."

Something mischievous gleamed in the taller man's eyes. "Ah," Matsukawa's tone was light and teasing. "But there _is_ a guy."

Cursing under his breath for falling into the other man's trap, Hajime tore his gaze back to his empty cup of coffee, lips pursed and hoping Matsukawa would drop the subject. But the detective seemed to be having fun with this new information, for he leaned forward in the table, his thick eyebrows wagging suggestively.

Hajime gritted his teeth. "It's not like that," he repeated, hand gesturing wildly in the air. "We're not dating... Or anything."

Matsukawa raised an eyebrow. "What, so you guys just sleep together or something? Not what I expected from you."

The private investigator flushed. Before he could say anything else, the loud shrill of his phone cut through the air. Letting out a breath he didn't realise he was holding, Hajime glanced at the caller ID, his relief short-lived.

_Oikawa Tooru._

Speak of the devil.

Hajime shot an apologetic look at Matsukawa, who waved him off and resumed his shameless ogling of the barista before accepting the call.

"What."

A chime of laughter crinkled over the line. "Iwa-chan, is that how you usually greet your clients over the phone?" Oikawa's voice was light and airy, slightly static over the line.

"Only you, and you're not a client," Hajime grumbled as the urge to light a cigarette came over him. "What do you want?"

Oikawa hummed and Hajime resisted the urge to roll his eyes. For a bigshot lawyer like him, he sure has a lot of free time bothering the private investigator. "Can I come over later?"

Hajime raised an eyebrow. Oikawa wasn't usually this direct. "Why?"

"Well, I figured Iwa-chan would probably miss his dose of Oikawa-san so the great me will grace you with my presence," Oikawa teased but Hajime could detect a slight strain in his voice at the end, one which he could not mask with a fake laugh in time.

"Oi," He said lowly into his phone, his eyes unseeing on the table. "Is everything alright?"

There was a pause from the other end of the line and the private detective waited, before there was a sharp intake of breath.

"Iwa-chan," Oikawa's voice was softer. "Can I come over?"

The slight strain was still in his voice and Hajime couldn't find it in him to refuse the other man. "I end late though," he said instead, taking a quick glance at the time on his wristwatch. It was already evening, and he still have a few more cases to update before he was done for the day. "I won't be able to prepare dinner."

"It's okay, I’ll bring dinner," Oikawa replied almost immediately and Hajime detected a slight relief colouring his tone. "See you later, Iwa-chan."

"Yeah."

Hajime ended the call after that, letting out a heavy sigh. He looked up to find Matsukawa's attention back on him, head in his hand and searching eyes that gleamed something unrecognizable. "So," he asked slowly and Hajime braced himself. "Was that him?"

The private investigator cleared his throat and pulled at the collar of his shirt. "It's not like that," he repeated and hurriedly added before Matsukawa could question any further. "Let's get back to work. I need to go off soon."

The taller man pouted but didn't argue. They got back to discussing the case, flipping through the folder Hajime had brought and focusing on the more important things. Soon the cafe started filling in, with university students coming in at the end of the day for a cup of coffee or something to eat. Hajime looked at his watch and saw it was time for his next case.

"I better get going," he said and stood up, keeping his notepad and pencil in his pockets. Matsukawa nodded, standing as well as he gather the files.

"Me too," he said. "I need to report back to the station. I'll transfer your fees to you by tomorrow."

"Thanks."

They walked out, ducking around the counter where the barista was and Hajime almost rolled his eyes when Matsukawa gave the barista a flirtatious wink. The man at the counter grinned, and blew the taller man a kiss before Hajime and Matsukawa stepped out, shivering at the last remnants of winter in the air.

"You couldn’t have just asked for his number?" Hajime asked, digging out for his cigarette.

Matsukawa hummed as he rubbed his hands together. "It's more fun this way. Gotta make a good impression on the guy."

Hajime snorted.

They reached the train station when Matsukawa rounded over to him, watching him with the same unreadable expression he had on back in the cafe. "Iwaizumi," he started hesitantly, licking at his lips. "About your guy—“

"I told you," Hajime hissed, suddenly feeling irritated at this whole issue. "We're not going out—“

“But there is _something_ going on, right?”

When there was no response, Matsukawa gave a sigh and patted Hajime's shoulder. "I don't know all the details, but I know you're not the kind of guy to do something as half-assed as this. I worry about you, you know?"

Hajime did know. He remembered how it was like working together with one of his oldest friends in the force. It left a bittersweet taste in his tongue that he tried to swallow down.

"You don't have to worry," the private investigator said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Really, I’m fine."

Matsukawa didn't look convinced but backed off, stuffing his hand that was on Hajime's shoulder into the pocket of his coat, shivering at the cold.

"Call me if you need anything," he said, waving goodbye to Hajime as he walked into the train station. Hajime returned the gesture and watched his friend disappear into the crowd. He let his hand hang by his side as he walked back to his office, pushing the conversation he just had into the back of his mind.

He had work to do.

 

 

 

Oikawa was in front of his apartment when Hajime reached home. Leaning against the wall next to his door in his expensive pea coat and brown hair styled meticulously, the lawyer was engrossed with something on his phone and didn't look up until Hajime's shoes scuffed against the cement floor. He watched the taller man's expression light up as he swiftly pocketed his phone.

"Iwa-chan!" Oikawa greeted cheerfully. "About time you showed up. I was just about to freeze here!"

Hajime cocked an eyebrow. "I did say I was going to be late," he retorted, fishing his pockets for his house keys. The keys jiggled as he stepped forward to unlock the door, ignoring how Oikawa had peeled his back from the wall and instead was watching him, leaning on his shoulder.

"You didn't say how late though!" Oikawa whined and the private investigator rolled his eyes. "The dinner I bought has already gone cold!”

There was a crinkling sound of plastic and Hajime's vision was suddenly filled with the FamilyMart logo on the plastic where two store-bought bento sat. He scowled, pushing the plastic away.

"Shut up Asskawa, you can just heat the damn food up."

He opened the door before Oikawa could retort, and the two men rushed in, sighing in relief to be out of the cold, cold night. Hajime slipped out of his shoes carefully while Oikawa all but kicked his off, muttering a soft "sorry for the intrusion" as he stepped into the hallway and to the kitchen with familiar ease. Hajime rolled his eyes, heading to the living room before tossing a file onto the coffee table and moved to undo his tie. He barely registered a hurried thumping of socked feet against the floor before a pair of arms wrapped round his body.

Startled, Hajime craned his head over his shoulder to find Oikawa's heavy gaze on him. "What—“, he started but then cold fingers gripped his jaw before he was pulled into a kiss.

Hajime gasped, and that little opening was all Oikawa needed to slide his tongue into his mouth. Squeezing his eyes tight, he gripped the lapels of Oikawa's coat, the sensations overwhelming him.

It had been too long, he realised, since he and Oikawa did this. Too long that Hajime hadn't realised his body yearned for it until now. He tilted his head and allowed Oikawa more access, allowed him to take the lead as he all but moved with the lawyer. He hadn't realised the other man had started backing them towards the wall until his back had made contact with the cold surface. They parted moments later when the need to breathe became too much and when Hajime opened his eyes he saw the hungry expression in Oikawa's darkened eyes that made a shiver run down his spine.

"What about dinner?" he managed to ask between pants and the lawyer scoffed before he ran a hand down Hajime's chest, stopping at the belt on his waist.

"Like you said," he said lowly, his voice sending another shiver down Hajime's spine as he slowly lowered himself to his knees in front of Hajime. "We can heat it up later."

 

 

 

Oikawa Tooru was a walking enigma.

That was what Hajime had concluded a little more than a year ago when he had first met the man. Tall, slender, dressed impeccably and hair styled, Hajime hadn’t risen to the bait when the lawyer had turned up half an hour late to the meeting he had made Kageyama set up for them and had sized him up. Despite his less than desirable first impression, Hajime couldn't help but notice how attractive Oikawa was, from his sharp jawline and nose, to his dark chocolate eyes that seemed to be shuttered, hiding his emotions.

Well, that was until he opened his mouth and started conspiring about aliens.

The second meeting had gone a lot more smoothly, and Hajime suspected it was partly due to the absence of Kageyama this time round. Oikawa had been serious, giving him all the necessary information he needed regarding his stalker, although the dreaded "Iwa-chan" had stuck.

_"It’s cute,"_ the lawyer had argued when Hajime told him to stop, smirk in place that the private investigator had the urge to whack him on the head. _"Cute for a brute like you."_

When did their professional relationship turned, Hajime wasn't so sure now. He would have said it was a week after Oikawa's stalker case had been closed and the lawyer had invited him out for drinks as thanks. One too many drinks and a darkened alleyway later, he was half-dragging half-pulling for lawyer back to his apartment, where most of their future trysts happened.

But it could be even before then, whenever their gazes met, far too loaded to be natural, and whenever the backs of their hands touched, sending jolts of electricity running down Hajime's back. He wouldn't deny there was a physical attraction between them, but that was all it was.

Because Oikawa was a walking enigma, and Hajime knew he didn’t do relationships. Maybe once, years ago, with the young detective Kageyama which Oikawa had drunkenly told him about. He could see the bitterness in the lawyer's eyes, badly concealed, whenever he caught glimpses of couple holding hands in the streets, see the way he curled into himself emotionally after the deed had been done whenever he got off the bed to wipe down the sweat off his body.

So whatever their arrangement was, Hajime couldn't find it in him to put a label to it.

He took another drag of his cigarette and exhaled slowly, watching the smoke swirled in the dimmed light. There was shuffling from the other side of the bed and Hajime turned to see Oikawa putting his wrinkled shirt back on, hiding the purple splotches forming on the skin on his back from the prying eyes of the world.

"Your shirt's wrinkled," Hajime said flatly, breaking the silence. He watched as Oikawa tensed for a brief second before turning to look at him over his shoulder, a smile in place.

"Doesn't matter, I'm gonna cab back later anyway."

Hajime didn't reply to that, taking another drag of his cigarette as Oikawa stood to pull his pants up.

"I'm gonna heat up the food now," the lawyer said before he left the bedroom.

Hajime waited for a while, finishing his cigarette as he heard the sounds coming from the kitchen. He put on a T-shirt and a pair of pants after stubbing the stick and went to the kitchen where the food had already been heated and waiting for him on the table. Oikawa was rummaging through his refrigerator for drinks, his back to him.

Hajime eyed the pre-packaged bento with distaste. "You couldn't buy something not from the convenience store?” he snorted but took his seat anyway, accepting the bottled water Oikawa tossed to him with a pout.

"So mean, Iwa-chan!” he whined as he settled across from Hajime. "I got held up and work and the ramen stall we usually go to has already closed. Be thankful I still bought something for you, even though you're mean."

Hajime hummed non-committedly as he broke his chopsticks apart. " _Itadakimasu_."

Silence blanketed over them for a while as the two dug into their food hungrily. The bento was surprisingly good, Hajime realised, and he polished it off in record time. He waited until Oikawa was done, as the tension in his shoulders bleed out before he spoke.

"So, what happened?"

Oikawa arched a perfect eyebrow. "What do you mean Iwa-chan?”

Hajime fought the urge to roll his eyes. Of course the lawyer wasn't going to make it easy for either of them. "You only turn up at my place with a last minute notice when something's up."

Now both of Oikawa's eyebrows were raised and Hajime detected a hint of surprise in his brown eyes. A small smile graced the lawyer’s lips as he chuckled softly. "Iwa-chan can read me so well now," he teased lightly, leaning heavily against the back if his chair.

Hajime shrugged. "I've had practice.”

The lawyer was silent for a while, eyes watching Hajime with an unreadable expression. Hajime waited, because he knew if Oikawa wanted something, he would say it. Then, a minute passed before the lawyer opened his mouth.

"I'm being followed," he said, his expression now if that he usually wore when at work—serious, and no sight of teasing. Hajime felt his back straightened at the sight.

"By a client?” he asked but Oikawa shook his head.

"I can't really see his face," the lawyer said lowly. "But it's definitely not someone I've worked for. He kept to the shadows mostly, and usually appears whenever I'm the last to leave the office late at night."

Hajime frowned. "What did it start?”

Oikawa averted his eyes guiltily for a second. "About a week ago."

Hajime felt a wave of annoyance washed over him. " _A week ago?_ ” he repeated. "And you’re only telling me _now_?”

"I didn't want to bother Iwa-chan,” the lawyer retorted, frowning as well. "I know you're busy, so I had to make sure my suspicions were right before I asked for a favour."

At his reasoning, the private investigator felt his anger deflate. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had three open cases still, not counting the one for Matsukawa, as well as two other pending ones. He normally would reject another request seeing his load but...

He glanced up to look at Oikawa. The lawyer was frowning still, his expression disturbed, eyes unfocused as it was when he was usually lost in thought. Hajime knew he couldn't leave the other man alone in his plight.

"Alright," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll take a look at your case." he may need to pass one of his open case to his assistant Kyoutani even though he himself was busy with other cases, but the younger man wouldn’t say no to Hajime.

Almost immediately Oikawa's expression brightened and his eyes held a soft relief in them. "Thank you, Iwa-chan," he said, his smile genuine which made his whole face look softer. Hajime felt a twinge in his chest at that but chose to ignore it.

"Yeah," he said, taking a swig from the water bottle. "You're buying me ramen from that expensive restaurant for the whole of next week." he smirked inwardly when Oikawa balked.

"That wasn't in the agreement!"

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while! I've been busy with life and kinda hit a writer's block.
> 
> Short chapter, but hope you like it! I don't have any knowledge on law and how lawyers work so please take this work with a pinch of salt.
> 
> Do let me know if there's any grammatical mistakes.

Yahaba had an eyebrow raised the moment Tooru entered the associate's office first thing in the morning.

"Good morning Yahaba-chan!" the older man chirped.

"Good morning, Oikawa-san," he greeted, a twitch at the corner of his lips. "You’re awfully cheerful today."

"What are you talking about, "Tooru sniffed, waving a hand around as he settled into the chair in front of the desk. “I'm always cheerful."

"Is that so," Yahaba commented, acting nonchalant as he pretended to read the file in his hands. "I suppose it doesn't have to do with a certain Iwaizumi-san then."

Tooru froze for a second before he caught himself. He rounded to his associate's desk and poked him in the cheek. Yahaba didn't react except to swat his hand away. "So not cute," Tooru muttered as he stood up straight and walked around the small office. "What happened to the cute Yahaba-chan I met a few years ago?"

"The cute Yahaba-chan was tainted by a certain Oikawa-san, if you seemed to have forgotten,” Yahaba deadpanned but Tooru merely sniffed, picking up a frame photograph by the windowsill.

It was taken a few years back at a bar, when Yahaba had just joined the firm. The younger man in the photograph was leaning into a taller man, with short cropped hair that was hidden under a beanie. They were holding onto each other, smiles wide and bright. Tooru himself was in the foreground, smiling widely at the camera as well. "Firstly, I didn't corrupt you. You did it to yourself when you dated Makki,“ Tooru retorted feebly, pouting. "Secondly, why do you still have this photograph in here?”

"Well," Yahaba was flipped the folder he was reading closed and pushed himself off his chair to the shelves at his right. "Hanamaki-san and I had agreed on staying friends even after we broke up, and this was one of the few photos which included us three."

Tooru could only sigh at the response. It wasn't like he didn't know the story; he was the one who gave his associate advice when he came to the lawyer. It seemed that Yahaba had grown tired of the mindless chitchat when he turned around and put on his most polite face –the one he usually reserved for annoying clients. "Why are you here, Oikawa-san?"

Tooru took his time to gently place the frame back to its place on the window sill before he held out the folder he had been carrying in his other hand out to Yahaba. Yahaba raised an eyebrow wordlessly before taking the file.

"Pro Bono," Tooru said simply, earning a groan from Yahaba. "You're a little behind your quota this month, Yahaba-chan, so you should thank for great Oikawa-san for helping you.”

"Thank you, oh Great One, " the other man repeated monotonously while flipping the report, and Tooru hadn't known someone who could inject as much sarcasm in so little words before now.

"So not cute," Tooru sniffed again, and Yahaba finally let the smirk grace his lips. He walked over to the younger man and ruffled his hair, earning a yelp and a swat to his arm. Tooru laughed lightly as he watched his associate return to his desk, trying in vain to smoothen the mess. His eyes landed to the wall clock in the room and he paused.

"So, how did the meeting go?" Yahaba asked. Tooru cocked his head sideways in confusion.

"What meeting?”

Now it was Yahaba's turn to cock his head in confusion. "That last minute meeting Yukie-san managed to squeeze in this morning with a new client. I saw her stick the post-in on your door earlier," he paused, and realisation dawned on his face just as a feeling of dread slid down Tooru's chest and settled in his stomach. "Or have you not drop by your office yet?”

"Fuck." He was going to speak to Yukie about the post it issue. "What time was the meeting?"

"Eight-thirty." It was already nine.

Tooru was out of the door by the next second. "Conference room three!" he heard Yahaba yell from behind just as he turned the corner.

He walked briskly, his legs remembering the way before his mind could process it. Conference room three was right beside his office, and that meant passing by Yukie's desk as well. He gave her a glare as he passed by, to which the redhead secretary raised her eyebrows, pointing at the neon yellow post-it note on his glass door. He ignored it for now, looking through the glass panels of conference room three, where there sat a man, his back to the door.

Tooru took a deep breath before he swung open the door, a client-approved smile already on his lips. "Sorry I'm late! Traffic was hectic. "

It was a lie because Tooru took the train, although the man didn't need to know that. The man stood and gave a short bow of greeting before presenting his business card which Tooru hastily reciprocated. They settled at opposite sides of the table and Tooru was able to take a good look at the client.

He was young –that was the first thing Tooru noticed –with a sharp face and pointy nose. His straight light brown hair came down heavily over his forehead in an asymmetrical cut, framing his large brown eyes. He seemed slighter than Tooru as well, with a thin neck that was partially covered by the purple collar of his shirt (Tooru wrinkled his nose inwardly at that; he hated purple).  Young and confident, although the older man was overcome with a sense of Deja Vu that he had met this person before.

"So,” Tooru cleared his throat, leaning into his seat as he flashed the man another one of his bright smile. "What can I do for you today?"

Then man straightened his back, his hand coming up to pat at his asymmetrical fringe. He looked straight at Tooru in the eye before he spoke, "I apologise for the last minute appointment but this is the only slot your secretary could give me."

Tooru frowned, wondering why Yukie didn't run this request through him before setting it up like usual. But then he remembered seeing a missed call from her the night before when he was with Iwaizumi which he had put in the back of his mind then. Sighing inwardly, he flipped the man's name card in his hand to read.

**_Shiro Kenji_ **

_Finance Lawyer_

That got his attention. "Which firm are you from?" Tooru blurted, cutting off whatever the other man was about to say. Shiro blinked, apparently caught off-guard for a second before resuming.

"I'm currently on a freelance basis. My services are available for anyone who wishes to hire me."

"Is that so," Tooru muttered, dragging his eyes back to lock gazes with the other man. "Freelancing is rare around here, especially for someone your age.”

Shiro didn't reply to that, but merely brought his bag closer to him to before pulling out a folder. "I've read about you, Oikawa-san," he said instead, looking at Tooru in the eye. "And I'm confident that my case will be in good hands with you."

Tooru cocked an eyebrow at the younger man's brazen attitude. "And what kind of case is that?" he asked as he leaned into his seat, lips curling into a sneer.

If he thought Shiro would feel intimidated, he wasn’t as he slid the folder across the table although his hand remained. "I have a client who requires another expert to look at their numbers. They're a, ah, sensitive entity so I cannot unveil the client's name until you choose to accept the case."

Now Tooru's other eyebrow joined his arched one under his hairline. He held out a hand to the other man, making him pause mid-sentence. "I think you've made a mistake here," he said slowly. "I specialise in marital affairs, not corporate law. Unless you need a lawyer for an upcoming divorce, I can't help you. "

The other lawyer wasn’t put out as a small smirk graced his thin lips. "I knew you'd say that," he said, letting out an amused exhale. "But I also know that you did dabble into criminal law and was a corporate legal counsel before joining Aobajousai."

"How did you know –“

"Like I said," Shiro cut him off, eyes piercing. Tooru felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand. "I've read about you, Oikawa-san."

Those information was obtained not without an extensive amount of research, Tooru noted. He eyed the folder at the desk, the nondescript cover giving him a sense of dread. Although he would deny it later, small part of him was curious as to who the client was. But then the smirk on Shiro's face widened fractionally during that second of hesitation and Tooru was snapped back to his senses.

Sneering still, he pushed back against his chair and stood up. "I'm going to have to refuse, Shiro-chan. Like I said, I specialise in marital affairs." He made a whole of looking at his watch. "I have another meeting soon."

His tone gave a sense of finality and Tooru could see disappointment washed over the other man. But Shiro didn't say anything as he pulled the folder back to him, stuffing it into his bag before standing up.

"I apologise for taking up your time, Oikawa-san," Shiro bowed, his tone polished and stiff. "Do contact me should you change your mind." He straightened and locked gazes with Tooru.

"After all, I am confident that you will take the case."

Tooru wanted to bite back, to say he would take the case over his dead body, but Shiro had already turned before he let himself out of the room. He watched the other man retreat to the lobby without so much of a backward glance before rounding to look at Yukie, who was peering over her cubicle at him.

"How did it go?" His secretary asked him the moment he reached her desk.

Tooru ran a hand carefully into his styled hair, grimacing slightly. "A waste of time. Why did you even let him see me?"

Yukie shrugged. "He said he knew you from before, so I couldn't exactly say no."

The sense of dread crept back at her admission. "Screen his calls from now on," he said instead. He saw surprise flitted across Yukie's face but she didn't question him as she nodded before going back to her work.

Tooru walked to his office, ignoring the post it still on the glass door as he settled into his chair. It was then when he realised he was still holding onto Shiro's name card. Scowling, he turned to toss it into the wastebasket.

_"I'm confident you will accept the case."_

Shiro's voice flitted in his mind, making him pause. The way he said it, it was as though he knew Tooru would accept it eventually. His thought wavered and finally with a sigh, Tooru withdrew his hand from the wastebasket and opened his desk drawer, tossing Shiro's name card in there carelessly.

 

 

 

"This is stupid."

Hajime paused, his eyes still trained at the window overlooking the street below. He gave it two seconds before he asked, "What's stupid, Kyoutani?"

Kyoutani growled, and Hajime could see the scowl etched deeply in his face from the corner of his eyes. "This whole stupid assignment," his assistant growled petulantly and Hajime resisted from pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"It's work," he muttered, eyes never leaving the street.

"It’s work for that pompous _ass_."

Hajime didn't resist the eye roll this time round. Kyoutani never liked Oikawa from the beginning, often glaring and snarling at the lawyer whenever his eyes landed on him. But, Hajime supposed, it would be justified if someone were to point at you during the very first meeting and call you "Mad Dog-chan".

"Oikawa is still a client," Hajime pointed out slowly, earning him a snort from the other man. "And you were the one who decided to come along."

They had wrapped up one of their other client's case earlier, where the wife of a businessman suspected her husband of cheating. A folder full of photographic evidence was exactly what she needed to pay the remainder of the fees and Kyoutani, still riding on the high of a closed case, had asked to come along when Hajime told him he was about to scout at a new case.

"I didn't know it was _his_ case," Kyoutani grumbled, arms crossing over his chest as he leaned into his seat. He looked like a sulking teenager. "This isn’t the first time he's attracted weirdos." He continued muttering under his breath before taking a sip of the overly sweet coffee in front of him.

The two of them were at a small cafe on the second floor of the building opposite Oikawa's law firm. Hajime had thought to scout the area first and get the big picture before anything else. It was late in the evening then, the sky already dark blue, blanketing the area with shadows. Office workers were walking towards the train station, some hurriedly while on the phone, some leisurely with their colleagues, swapping the day's gossips.

The glass door of Aobajousai opened, catching Hajime's attention, before a mop of light brown hair appeared –Yahaba, Hajime's mind supplied as he had met Oikawa's associate before –his face partially buried in the thick scarf wound around his neck. He felt rather than saw Kyoutani stiffened at the appearance of the younger lawyer but didn't comment on it, as the two private investigators watched Yahaba walked towards the station and soon out of sight. Kyoutani barely relaxed before the door swung opened once again, and it was Hajime's turn to straightened his back at the sight of the familiar styled brown hair. His eyes remained trained on Oikawa as the lawyer fumbled around his pockets for the key, locking up the door to the firm. The lawyer did a scan of the area, his eyes glinting before he too began walking towards the train station. At the sound of Kyoutani's grumbling did Hajime snapped out of his staring before he proceeded to scan the area from his spot.

The street was empty, save for a couple of office ladies walking towards the train station, their high voices being carried upwards by the cold wind that blew past them. He let his eyes wander about the street once more before slumping back into his seat when nothing or no one suspicious turned up.

"This is a waste of time,” Kyoutani grumbled beside him and Hajime resisted the urge to sigh. His fingers twitched for the need to smoke but the cafe was a non-smoking area so he settled for draining the remainder of his sugary concoction of coffee, wincing slightly at the cold and slimy texture going down his throat.

"We’re going to have to call it a day," Hajime spoke after a moment of silence. "Give it a few more days to see if anyone shows up around Oikawa before we wrap this up.”

His assistant scowled. A few more days of scouting was pretty much torture for Kyoutani who preferred the adrenaline rush of confrontation in their work, but Hajime knew the younger man knew the importance of staying put for he gave him a small jerk of his head in agreement.

"A few more days,” Kyoutani muttered, pouting slightly. “That’s a fucking long time.”

Hajime merely shrugged, standing up to shrug on his coat. “It’s still work. We better see it to the end.”

Although Kyoutani continued to grumble under his breath as he followed Hajime out of the café, he didn’t say anything else to rebut him, leaving Hajime’s thoughts to wander to Oikawa.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

He drummed his fingers lightly against the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the figure walking towards the train station in front of him. The street where the train station sat was crowded and noisy, but it hid him better than being on the street where the law firm sat. He could see the lawyer's guard was up –his brown eyes kept flitting at the faces that passed him, his lips downturned in an uncharacteristic frown. The lawyer gave one last look around the area before he watched him enter the gantry and out of sight.

He leaned back against his seat, letting out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. He could feel the tension escaping his shoulders as glanced at the rear-view mirror, where his passenger sat at the back seat, perfectly still.

"Is it alright to not follow him today?” he asked his passenger. The passenger pressed his asymmetrical fringe down his forehead before his honey brown eyes met his at the mirror.

"It’s fine,” he said, undoing his tie from his purple shirt. "We’ll just proceed with the next stage of our plan. Oikawa-san will cave in sooner or later."

He frowned at that, but nodded anyway. After all, it was his passenger's plans, not his.

He would just do as he was told.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed my fics and would like to support me further, you can buy me a [Coffee](https://ko-fi.com/sweettimereplay). I appreciate every little support from you readers.
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!  
>  

**Author's Note:**

> I hope to be able to update this regularly between work and school.
> 
> If you enjoyed my fics and would like to support me further, you can buy me a [Coffee](https://ko-fi.com/A343NTS). I appreciate every little support from you readers.
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!


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